Silencers, also called muzzle signature reducers, have been permitted for hunting with an exemption in Bavaria since 2015. In the meantime, most federal states have followed suit and allowed hunting with silencers, whereby a permit and a preliminary entry in the WBK is required. In the states of Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, however, hunting with silencers is still prohibited without exception.
Advantages and disadvantages of silencers:
One disadvantage of silencers is that they reduce the gun's maneuverability because they lengthen the barrel and increase the weight of the gun. However, the additional weight, which is especially disadvantageous during transport, also has an advantage: most hunters can usually hold a heavier rifle more quietly than a light one.
The main advantage of silencers, on the other hand, is that they can reduce the muzzle blast of the gun by up to 35 decibels. This means that the noise level is no longer beyond the human pain threshold of 130 decibels. It is possible to shoot without hearing protection, and those involved in the hunt who cannot protect themselves from the noise of the shot, such as drivers or hunting dogs, are no longer endangered.
However, a significant advantage of silencers is that they increase the precision of the weapon: When a weapon is fired in conjunction with a silencer, the projectile passes through the expansion chambers of the silencer after it leaves the muzzle. In the expansion chambers of the silencer, the explosive gases exiting the barrel muzzle are expanded and decomposed. This causes the gases to be released only slightly into the environment, thus dampening the sound of the shot. This effect also reduces the turbulence of the gases directly behind the bullet, which affects the precision of the bullet. Less turbulence means less interference with the bullet. With a silencer, a gun shoots more accurately. This can be seen in the reduced scattering creus, as can be verified at the shooting range.
Other advantages of silencers include less intense muzzle flash and reduced recoil.
Legal Requirements:
Before purchasing a silencer or even a rifle with an integrated silencer, a preliminary entry in the gun ownership card is required! Important to note: The ban on silencers in the above-mentioned federal states also applies to weapons with integrated silencers - the acquisition of such weapons is not permitted for hunters residing there! Furthermore, the entry in the WBK does not mean that the hunting use of the silencer is approved - a special permit from the lower hunting authority is required.
With the formalities security is required! Many a fellow hunter has had to surrender his hunting license due to formal errors in connection with silencers!
Roedale Hunter 50Ki
Technical requirements
Important: The problem-free retrofitting with a silencer is only possible with bolt action rifles and break-barrel rifles. In case of combined rifles, the conversion is impossible due to the design of the rifles. Self-loading rifles, on the other hand, may rely on recoil or gas pressure to drive the reloading mechanism - silencers can interrupt this mechanism and thus cancel the weapon's reloading mechanism.
Roedale Ti55
To install a silencer, a thread must be cut in the barrel muzzle. It is recommended to purchase new firearms already threaded, even in the states where silencers are not yet allowed. If the thread has been cut into the muzzle, the weapon must be re-fired (§3 of the Firing Act), which means that the effort is greater than perhaps initially expected.
The cutting of the thread, if not available must be done by a gunsmith, because the conversion is done on an essential part of the weapon. (This is regulated by law in § 21 and § 26 Weapons Act).
If a silencer is not used, the fine thread must be protected by a cap - without a cap it would be damaged and the barrel may be irreparably damaged.
Roedale Hunter 50
Different types of silencers
Different types of silencers are standard silencers and reflex silencers, which are also called over-barrel silencers. Standard silencers are simply screwed to the muzzle, they thus extend the overall length of the rifle by its own dimensions - the rifle thus becomes about 30 cm longer. Reflex silencers, on the other hand, are partially slipped over the muzzle, so they extend the overall length of the rifle by only a portion of its own length, which can be assumed to be about 15 cm. In addition to this advantage, reflex silencers are thus less susceptible to leverage than standard silencers.
Roedale Delta Pro X 50
Shorten barrel
Because the silencer increases the length of the gun in any case, it is recommended to choose the shortest possible barrel when buying a new gun and to have the barrel shortened when retrofitting under certain circumstances. The standard type calibers l308, .30 - 06, 8 x 57 IS, 8.5 x 63, 7 x 57 or 9.3 x 62 can usually be shot without problems even with barrels around 50 cm. With stronger magnum calibers such as .300 Win Mag or 8 x 68 S, the barrel should not be shortened below 56 cm.
Silencers under test:
The best test reports of silencers are available from our premium partner Geartester. In addition, Geartester provides high-quality video content on the subject on YouTube:
Silencer test:
Silencer comparison: Hausken, Roedale and A-Tec:
Roedale Ti50
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